In the field of electronics enclosures, conventional methods of manufacturing the enclosures often result in a substantial amount of leftover and wasted scrap metal. FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet of sheet metal 50 prior to being cut and formed into an enclosure. One of the more common conventional methods of manufacture involves first cutting the sheet metal 50 into a “cross” shape and then forming the enclosure therefrom. For example, in FIG. 1, the cross shape is formed by cutting sections A, C, G, and I out of sheet metal 50. Thereafter, sections B, D, F, and H are folded up to form the sidewalls of the enclosure, with section E serving as the backwall. Sections A, C, G, and I are therefore scrap and likely thrown away. Thus, using this method, as much as 4/9 (or approximately 44%) of the original piece of sheet metal 50 is tossed aside as scrap.
In addition to inefficient methods of manufacture, conventional “off-the-shelf” enclosures themselves generally do not allow for convenient configuration or customization. For example, most enclosures typically consist of a box having five fixed walls and a door. Thus, a user with particular needs is faced with essentially two options: (1) special-order a custom enclosure from a manufacturer, or (2) modify a stock enclosure to suit the user's needs. Special-ordering custom enclosures can be undesirable from a cost standpoint, as most manufacturers charge a premium for custom orders.
Modifying a stock enclosure is not ideal either. For instance, in order to mount electronics within a stock enclosure, the user is typically required to drill holes or cut openings into the enclosure and then mount the electronics with a combination of nuts, bolts, and standoffs. Drilling or cutting openings into the enclosures is often undesirable because it creates a security vulnerability in the enclosure and compromises the structural integrity of the enclosure in general. Moreover, some outdoor applications require the enclosure to be watertight. Cutting and drilling into the enclosure simply adds more openings through which water may leak that therefore require sealing.
Thus, conventional electronics enclosures do not provide for convenient configurability while at the same time maintaining structural integrity.